DANCING WITH THE STARS Recap – The Finals, Part One

The mirrorball trophy has inched closer as it’s come down to the finalists doing their last three dances. Tonight the competition had the judges’ picks and the always interesting freestyle round. Previous seasons have shown that the freestyle is the make or break for our dancers. I stil wonder if Stacy Kiebler could have won if she didn’t do a Saturday Night Fever routine or if Mya decided not to listen to Dmitry and do a Broadway routine.

The competition this year was only one hour, which made me miss the group challenges. Watching the dancers perform to the same song and have a small group sequence at the end was really helpful to compare styles and routines. I think that the athleticism of Hines, sensuality of Kirstie, and spunk of Chelsea would have been interesting to stare at side-by-side. Chelsea never danced next to Hines and Kirstie.

Round One – Judges’ Pick

Chelsea & Mark – Samba – Carrie Ann came to help the couple with the samba because Chelsea was missing the sensuality and womanhood. Apparently her samba was “perky” instead of mature. Carrie Ann tried her best to teach the fly girl way of shaking. The couple got lucky with a very commonly used samba “Hip Hip, Chin Chin.” I was immediately disgusted by Mark’s overdancing. I wasn’t a fan of Chelsea’s arm fringe either, but her leg fringe was covering up any under shaking skills. I found it interesting that Mark thought of adding some African shakes to the performance, though I wasn’t sure how Len would have accepted it.

Len liked the performance, but he wasn’t a fan of the African section. Bruno thought she was a bombshell and firecracker. Carrie Ann thought Chelsea was on fire and got sensual. Score: 29 (10,9,10)

Kirstie & Maks – Samba – Bruno arrived to help Kirstie with her hand motions and her flicks in her arms. Bruno was looking for the party atmosphere in the samba. The dance started a bit slow and then picked up almost immediately. Kirstie didn’t seem as confident in her flicks, but she had a sensuality that Chelsea lacked. Kirstie also covered a lot of dance floor without looking too winded. They attempted the samba rolls for a long sequence which is very commendable. They ended a few seconds before the music, but the dance worked.

Bruno loved the soft, rich dance movements; she still looked at the floor. Carrie Ann pointed out that she had a nice fluid motion in her transitions. Len thought there was a different style as Chelsea, but there was a natural choreography and mix of steps. Score: 27 (9,9,9)

Hines & Kym – Quickstep – Len arrived to critique Hines’ Quickstep; he wanted to improve the 7. Len warned about pointing his toes and his frame. The couple got lucky with a very quickstep style song in “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” The couple covered a lot of ground with speed and precision. I thought Hines’ frame faltered at moments, but his feet were a lot better than his first attempt. I liked the really cute champagne bottle pop at the end.

Carrie Ann loved the fun nature of the dance; she compared it to Hines getting a touchdown. Len thought that the dance still wasn’t at a high caliber that he was looking for. Bruno compared it to a Broadway production full of excitement. Score: 29 (10,9,10)

Round Two – Freestyle Round

Chelsea & Mark – “Latinos” by Proyecto Uno – Chelsea has been amazed by Mark’s freestyles, but was worried about the really ambitious choreography. Mark wanted to add some break/hip-hop movements to add freshness. The couple started on a bike, which I didn’t get at all. The dance had some elements of salsa, but mostly some intricate lifts and spins. I thought the slow section was interesting and the LED light sequence was interesting — except for when Chelsea’s lights turned off. The final spin would have been more interesting if we could see the performers. I felt like Chelsea was just tossed around, but it was interesting to watch.

Len thought the routine was great. Bruno thought they pushed the limits and liked how they mixed the Latin dance moves with hip-hop. Carrie Ann didn’t have words but instead gave random fly girl dance motions. Score: 30 (10,10,10)

Kirstie & Maks – “F’in Perfect” by Pink – Maks knows that the freestyle is important and wants to do lifts. Kirstie attempted several flips and lifts during the practice and she seemed nervous about the motions. The performance began with almost a yellow brick road. The dance started with a slow lift and the dance picked up from a rumba into an intense Latin routine. I’m not happy that Kirstie didn’t do the routine with shoes, but I was impressed by the lifts and really childish looking flip.

Bruno was surprised about how the couple has done lifts and appreciated how she went into the dance at the end. He was full of respect for their work. Carrie Ann thought the dance embodied a free lively 60-year-old. Len loved the Latin elements and the risks Kirstie took. Score: 27 (9,9,9)

Hines & Kym – Drumline Sequence + “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 – Hines wanted to do a part of a drum line to help represent his football background. The couple had a lot of struggles with lifts and kicks but the two want to win. Hines and Kym also started with a drum line but their routine was really spectacular watching Kym flipping and flailing around. Their routine was the most to a full dance routine where there was content and not just lifts. As much as the drum line wasn’t the strongest, their performance totally made up for it.

Carrie Ann thought there were a lot of risks taken and thought the routine was fantastic. Len thought that he gave all that he could. Bruno loved how Hines pulled all the stops. Score: 30 (10,10,10)

Finale Night One Scores

Chelsea & Mark – 59 – (29 + 30)

Hines & Kym – 59 (29 + 30)

Kirstie & Maks – 54 (27 + 27)

Traditionally, freestyles that are hip-hop related don’t win. There are a few exceptions (Apollo & Julianne come to mind), but I don’t think that Chelsea & Mark has the support that Steeler Nation can provide for Hines. Hines’ routine actually had content that was watchable. It’s a shame that Chelsea’s battery pack died but Chelsea did power through it. Though we shouldn’t count out Kirstie & Maks, there is a five point deficit between her and the other two. Will Ralph’s voters move to Kirstie? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.